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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — soda
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pop — music
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — the season
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. last — final
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com